What no one else knew
by the-wanderer's-story
Summary: Inside the simple wrappings were photos, snapshots of a forgotten life, a life they almost let slip away.


Disclaimer: I don't own lost. If I did I wouldn't need to write a fan fiction about it...

It was about a year after the survivors had been rescued that the package came to each one of them. It was nothing fancy, just a brown parcel, small, no larger than a video tape.

What could this be? I don't remember ordering anything. And, who would have sent me something? Were a few of the thoughts that crossed each survivors mind upon first observation of the package.

Inside the simple wrappings were photos, snapshots of a forgotten life, a life they almost let slip away.

The pile of pictures wasn't very thick, just one role of film's worth...but it was enough.

The first photo in the stack showed the crash, fire and twisted pieces of metal filled the image. Images of the day this picture must have been taken flooded the minds of those looking at the picture. Some felt anger...who would send a picture like this?...why would anyone try and make me relive that day?

The next picture had been taken at night. It showed a group of people, some clearly recognizable faces, huddled in fright around a roaring signal fire. This photo was most likely their first night on the island, alone, and terrified of the monster in the jungle.

When they flipped to the next picture they saw Kate high up in a tree, picking fruit for the camp.

Jin fishing, Sawyer chopping wood, and Jack tending the sick were the next three consecutive photos.

Wonder filled the minds of the survivors. Who had taken these pictures? How had they not known?

By now some of the survivors had tears in their eyes. The pictures had served their purpose for some; to bring back the memories of those days, those horrible but hope-filled days.

The next snapshot showed Jack and Kate sitting alone on the beach. They were starring out at the water, but it was obvious that they were deep in concentration.

Hurley and Charlie made up the next picture, laughing and having a good time on the golf course.

The next scene was of Walt and Vincent. Walt had just thrown a ball and Vincent could be seen charging after it. Walt was smiling and if dogs could smile Vincent would have been too.

The next moment was of Charlie and Claire. They, like most of the people in other pictures were laughing. It looked like Charlie had just made some joke about the "house" they were trying to make and it had Claire bent over in laughter.

If the people looking at these photos hadn't been crying tears of happiness before they were at least smiling now.

Jin and Sun occupied the next image. They were preparing fish together and surprisingly they seemed to be okay with each others company. They weren't annoying each other.

The next photo was quite contrary to the others. It showed Shannon and Boone arguing, but those looking at the pictures knew that the scene before them was normal, and it amused them.

Locke and Walt playing backgammon was the next picture. Vincent was splashing through the waves in the background, annoying Jin who was trying unsuccessfully to catch fish.

Sayid was fixing some type of radio in the next snapshot, which everyone that was now looking at the pictures new would just result in another failed attempt at rescue. They had been rescued, but no radio had helped them...it was purely luck...or maybe fate.

The next image showed Kate and Sawyer swimming in a serene setting. At the moment the picture was taken Kate had been diving off of a cliff into a clear pool, fed by a brilliant waterfall. Sawyer could be seen watching Kate jump with an amused grin on his face.

Sun and Kate made up the next photo. For Sun, this was a common scene. Her working determinedly on her garden.

The raft was the star or the next picture. Halfway complete, each survivor remembered the struggle Michael went through in order to get his son off of the island.

Next was a shot of Kate just having opened her eyes to find her hand full of guava seeds , put there by Jack. "Slimy little bluish black thingies" was the phrase that came to mind for the two the picture contained.

The next picture was definitely a moment to remember. Baby Aaron, just having been born.

Everyone knew that the day Aaron was born was the day that Boone had died, but had they forgotten the next picture would have reminded them. For it showed Boone's grave, with everyone surrounding it, saying goodbye to one of their fellow survivors, their friend.

The next photo actually made some of the people laugh. The hatch was all it showed. How much trouble the hatch had caused, all of the thinking and effort that went into opening it, and then the fights or "disagreements" that it brought about.

Following the hatch was a "Jack and Locke" moment as some of the survivors liked to call it. Clearly they were in a dispute about something but they were trying to hide it from the others. "It didn't work on the island and it isn't working now", everyone thought.

The next picture showed the backs of everyone on the beach. They were all standing at the edge of the water waving at the departing raft, carrying away four of their companions. Some people were hugging and laughing, while others were crying. The picture captured all of the emotions that had been present at that difficult time.

The last picture had been taken at night. It showed everyone at the camp giving their full attention to Jack. Anyone else who looked at this picture would wonder what act the man in the middle of the group had just preformed to gain everyone's undivided attention. However, only the survivors, the people holding the pictures, would ever know what had happened at that moment.

As each individual put down the stack of pictures they had one thought ringing in their heads: "If we can't live together, we're going to die alone."

Dealing with what they had just seen was something each person did differently. One went to bed, but lay awake all night, trying to remember every little and seemingly insignificant detail about their time on the island. One went and sat outside on their porch, looking up at the stars they remembered that life they had just been reminded of. And one drove down to the beach, got out of their car, took their shoes of, and stood in the sand, letting the water glide over their feet. They closed their eyes and took in the sound of the waves and the smell of the water, imagining that they were back on that island, almost wishing they hadn't been rescued.

All of the pictures had been action shots, no one knew they were being taken and no one had posed for them. They served to capture the memories of a life that only a significant few could recollect and their purpose was to remind those of the freedom they once had.

- The End -

Please please please review! Tell me whether you liked it, and if you did do you think I should make a sequel about all of the main survivors meeting in a reunion type thing? Thanks for reading!


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